Can a vicar from a different church take our wedding?

You might have a particular vicar in mind to take your wedding because of family or other connections. That’s usually possible to arrange, but the vicar of the marrying church will need to be involved.

Occasionally, couples have a member of the family or a friend who is a vicar, or know a vicar very well from a parish where they used to live, such as where they grew up.

As people move and live in different parts of the country more than they used to, the vicar who you’d love to take your wedding may be based elsewhere.

The first step is to talk to the vicar of the church where you would like to get married, who can advise you on the possibilities.

It is usually fine for a different vicar to come in to the parish of your marrying church and take the wedding, so long as they are a Church of England vicar, and so long as the vicar of the church is happy to arrange it. Discuss your plans with both vicars to make sure.

For legal reasons, a minister from another denomination (eg Methodist, Baptist, URC), is not able to do a Church of England wedding. But they can be involved in other ways, for example by doing the readings, prayers, or even the talk/sermon if the marrying vicar is happy with that.